Access control systems find application in many different ways, for example for controlling access of persons to rooms of a building, as is the case for example in hotels, office complexes or laboratories, to events, or else in abstract form to functions, resources or services, for example computer functions or resources or server services.
A specific application of access control systems is also constituted by controlling access of persons to openings of containers, such as e.g. lockboxes or goods delivery containers, in particular parcel boxes. Parcel boxes enable a new form of delivery/retrieval of parcels for persons who want to receive or send parcels even when they are away from their residence, or in the vicinity of their residence. For this purpose, parcel boxes are usually installed in front of the residence of the parcel box user—in a manner similar to a mailbox, but with a larger capacity—and parcels are then delivered by the deliverer by insertion into the parcel box or are retrieved by withdrawal from the parcel box. In order to prevent misuse and theft, the parcel box must have a lock. Both the deliverer and the parcel box user must then be equipped with physical or logical keys in order to be able to use the parcel box.